The Chicago Mail System

...is one of the wonders of the world.

I arranged to have my mail stopped while I was gone. Not really for my benefit as I would have to be bothered with the task of picking it up. I did this more as a service to my postal carrier. He need not have the burden of shoving 10 days of mail into my small mail receptacle. I am a courteous reciever of post mail, I respect all my civil servants. But oh, no. This does not work. I come home to my mail shoved and squished and in general disarray.

I should have left a note for my poor mail carrier.

This is how The Chicago Mail System works...a system of notes. Yes notes. We snub the use of computers and electronic means of sorting, holding and forwarding mail. Oh no. No computers for us. We use notes.

You may wonder how I know this.

Because I actually thought having my mail forwarded from my old address to my new would work. Of course I had all of my bills and such changed to my new address but there are those things that are forgotten.

When I moved to my new residence I noticed I had not one piece of mail with the yellow sticker saying it was forwarded. I remembered past residences of my old apartment would fetch and call for their mail....claiming they did fill out the forwarding and it did not work. I thought they were liars...until it happened to me.

I called my local post office to see what the deal was. They said "ok! We will put a note in the mail carrier's bag". WHAT? A note in the bag? You are actually putting a note in the bag??? Is it 1932?

Anyway...I got once peice of forwarded mail. The day after the alleged note was put in.

A note? Really, it is absurd.